News Archive

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets UVM Extension Agricultural Business engages with farm, forest and maple enterprises using planning and educational resources to promote a strong agricultural economy.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Technical College partnered with Earthwise Global Inc., a Northfield, Vt.-based AgriTech company, on a 6-week preliminary feasibility study that evaluated the use of a nanobubble technology to grow hydroponic crops more efficiently and abundantly.

Spring is here in Vermont, meaning farmers markets will soon begin again. Most of the markets in the state begin in the mid-spring or early summer and last until autumn. Some markets, like those in Middlebury and Montpelier, have been holding weekly events throughout the winter and will continue to do so through most of April.

Most spring and…

On Tuesday, 30 food and agriculture groups released the sixth annual Feeding the Economy report, a historic farm-to-fork economic analysis revealing how these sectors influence the local and broader United States economies. Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s study highlights how the industries remained resilient to provide Americans…

The Charlotte Land Trust this week released a study it commissioned to better understand the agricultural landscape in town and identify roles conservation can play in the future of farming here. Here's a summary.

The Charlotte Land Trust Agricultural Farm Study is complete. We will be presenting it, with the Charlotte Grange, on Zoom on Wednesday, March 23, at 1:00. No reservation is needed, admission if fee. We hope to see you there!

As with many societal challenges we have all faced in the past two years, the pandemic uncovered vulnerabilities in Vermont’s food system, while at the same time highlighting our capabilities and strengths. In response, Governor Scott appointed a Commission on the Future of Vermont Agriculture to grow our food economy. Take a look at their…

When the pandemic arrived on our doorstep, life changed profoundly. Our daily routine was disrupted, from home to school, office to farm. Over the next few weeks, the Vermont Legislature will consider major issues effecting agriculture in Vermont. At the same time, a landslide of federal funding has created once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to…

The Working Lands program announces historic funding for those who make their living off the land. The Program has awarded $2.1 in grants that will help grow agriculture and small businesses in Vermont.

In 2021 Vermont River Conservancy (VRC) took on new and larger projects to improve wildlife habitat, keep communities safe, and to ensure people will always have access to rivers for swimming, paddling, and fishing.

In 2021 Vermont River Conservancy (VRC) took on new and larger projects to improve wildlife habitat, keep communities safe, and to ensure people will always have access to rivers for swimming, paddling, and fishing.

Read about the transition of the Nichols Fodder Farm to the new Green Mountain Hay and the hard work, friendship, and trust between David Nichols and Nick Powden that has made it work.

One of the most ambitious endeavors in Vermont agriculture, the redevelopment of the iconic Nordic Farms on Route 7 in Charlotte, took several defining steps forward this week.

Vermont Business Magazine, Stonyfield Organic, and Cabot are joining forces alongside the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance (FPSA) and Dairy Farmers of America to place dairy as a leader in forging a circular pathway to decarbonization and climate change mitigation.

Vermont Business Magazine The High Meadows Fund, the Vermont Community Foundation, and the Vermont Land Trust today announced a $6 million leadership gift to diversify farm ownership, accelerate the economic viability of farming, and advance natural climate solutions and ecological health on Vermont farms.

At their Sept. 13, meeting the town of Charlotte’s Selectboard approved the application from the Charlotte Land Trust and the Vermont Land Trust for an expenditure of $50,000 from the Charlotte Conservation Fund to be applied to the funding for the conservation easement acquisition price of a 59-acre parcel of farmland in South East Charlotte.

Vermont Housing & Conservation Board committed $1,694,200 in state funding and $842,000 in federal funds to protect agricultural and recreational land, forestland, and natural areas.

Food and Markets 2020 was a year of turbulence, uncertainty and change, with many important societal issues highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets has been deeply involved in many of these issues read more about what they have been doing.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) Tuesday visited the Huntington Community Forest to coincide with the release of a special report, "Community Forests: A Path to Prosperity and Connection(link is external)” by the Trust for Public Land. The property, immediately adjacent to the Brewster-Pierce Memorial School, is one of many forests in Vermont and…

For more than three decades, Gustave “Gus” Seelig has quietly had a hand in more than a billion dollars’ worth of socially responsible Vermont development projects, including the conservation of affordable housing complexes, the preservation of historic buildings and the biggest land conservation project of the last century.

Today, in the wake…

Charlotte’s Nordic Farm is set to realize the future of Vermont agriculture as a multifaceted working landscape. Nordic Farm is focusing on finding new ways for sustainable agriculture to continue on its lands — proven to be vital for both local communities and the natural environment.

Will Raap, the founder of Gardener’s Supply and the Intervale Center, in collaboration with partners, plans to purchase and turn Nordic Farms into a Grain-Based Ag Hub, that showcases Vermont grains, botanicals and beverages on a working farm that produces these goods

Vermont Business Magazine - The USDA is now accepting applications for three different grants that support the development, coordination and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets and enterprises and value-added agricultural products. Over $93.5 million dollars is available in total.

Vermont Business Magazine - Vermont State Auditor Doug Hoffer today released a first-ever comprehensive accounting of Vermont state government’s total annual spending in support of Vermont’s dairy industry. From State fiscal year 2010 to 2019

Check out Vermont Land Trust's latest news of recent successes and upcoming events on birding, gardening, and estate planning, and more!

Vermont Business Magazine #Farm24VT, a a social media celebration of agriculture, food, and dairy in Vermont, is set for May 12 at 5:00 a.m. and will run for a full twenty-four hours.

The latest Charlotte Land Trust Annual Report is now available.

Community members jumped right in at a special Selectboard meeting last night to measure the loss to the Town and entire Vermont Conservation community of Selectboard member, Marty Illick and her husband, Terry Dinnan - both lifelong active and ardent conservationists.

Marty was a 20 year Board member of the Charlotte Land Trust.

Governor Scott named the inaugural members to the Governor's Commission on the Future of Vermont's Agriculture. The Commission’s charge will focus on ensuring the viability and adaptability of Vermont’s agriculture and food system, by delivering recommendations to the Governor for more cross-sector collaboration, increasing production and…

Vermont Agency of Agriculture reports on the COVID-19 Impacts on Vermont Farms and Food Businesses and the resilience, hope, and inspiration witnessed across Vermont's farming and food community in a newly released summary of a project undertaken with University of Vermont and UVM Extension to capture farm and food business stories. "The COVID-19…

Charlotte has just gained another conserved farm – Head Over Fields Farm. In March, John and Carol Snow sold 71.7 acres of excellent farmland to Katie Rose Leonard and Bryan Seward; at the same time they sold a conservation easement on that land to the Vermont Land Trust. The property is a major component of the Mt Philo scenic viewshed.

The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program(link is external), a program of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, has grant funds available for on-farm capital improvement projects that have a positive impact on water quality.

The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund through its Farm to Plate Initiative, and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) have released the Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan 2021-2030

Looking for something to do this month? The Vermont Land Trust is offering a number of free virtual events and activities including:

- Over and Under the Snow: Virtual Story Ski and Tour of Northeast Kingdom Winter Recreation Spots

- Bark, Buds & Branches: Learn to Identify Trees in Winter

- What Animal Is This? Virtual Wildlife Tracking…

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) announces the full launch of the Vermont-based Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) funded by the USDA Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS).

The Charlotte Land Trust is working with the University of Vermont's Center for Rural Studies to conduct a Charlotte Farm Study in order to understand the current state of farming in town and to look through a conservation lens to identify challenges and opportunities in the future.

The succession of farm ownership is different from that of another business because “the economics are pretty unique,” said Don Devost, a partner at Marble Trail Financial in Middlebury. Farms often hold a valuable asset in their land, and sometimes a retiring farmer can make more money developing that land than selling the farm, said Devost, whose…

Amid the uncertainly of the pandemic some local farms have doubled or tripled direct sales to Vermonters, with business at farm stands and Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs) soaring in the state.

A Charlotte News profile and interview with Steve Schubart, a CLT board member and owner of the Grass Cattle Company, in Charlotte

The latest on line class offerings from the Vermont Land Trust.